Hunter Lawrence wins Denver to take 450SX title fight to the wire

2026 AMA Supercross Championship

Round 16 – Denver, Colorado

The 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will head to Salt Lake City with the premier-class title separated by a single point after Hunter Lawrence delivered a decisive victory at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.

Empower Field at Mile High hosted a pivotal Denver round, with the 450SX title race tightening to one point before Salt Lake City.

The Australian did exactly what he needed to do in Colorado, winning the 450SX Main Event by more than 12 seconds over Ken Roczen. Roczen’s runner-up finish was enough to keep the red plate, but only just, with the Suzuki rider now leading Lawrence 332 points to 331 ahead of the final round.

Eli Tomac’s return to form was the other major 450SX storyline. After missing Philadelphia through injury, the Colorado native came back in front of a home-state crowd and stood on the podium, finishing third after recovering from an early stall in the sand section.

Ken Roczen, Hunter Lawrence and Eli Tomac on the Denver 450SX podium after a pivotal night in the championship fight.

The 250SX West title had already been wrapped up by Haiden Deegan, but he continued his winning form in Denver with another controlled Main Event victory over Levi Kitchen and Ryder DiFrancesco. Kitchen strengthened his hold on second in the championship, while DiFrancesco remains firmly in that fight heading to Salt Lake City.

There was also a useful Australian thread in the 250SX West Main, with Perth’s Kayden Minear putting in a strong ride to fifth on the Star Yamaha. That gave the Denver round two clear Aussie angles, with Lawrence tightening the 450SX title race and Minear claiming a top-five finish in the west coast 250 field.

With Cooper Webb finishing 11th in the 450SX Main, the premier-class championship has narrowed to a direct Roczen versus Lawrence contest. Roczen still has the point advantage, but Lawrence leaves Denver with the momentum.

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450 Main

Jorge Prado made the best start in the 450SX Main Event, taking the holeshot on the Red Bull KTM ahead of Lawrence, Tomac, Webb and Roczen. Lawrence was quickly into his work, moving past Prado and taking control of the race on lap two.

The 450SX field launches in Denver, where Hunter Lawrence’s win set up a one-point title fight for the final round.

Once in clear air, Lawrence looked settled and fast. His 51.007 on lap six was the fastest lap of the race, and from there he was able to steadily extend the margin. Roczen moved forward from fifth in the early stages to second, but by then Lawrence had already made the most of the clean track and had the race under control.

Jorge Prado, Hunter Lawrence and the 450SX field crowd into the opening turns at Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High.

Roczen’s result was still important. He could not match Lawrence’s pace in Denver, but second place prevented a complete points swing and means he will take a one-point lead into Salt Lake City. With both riders now on five wins for the season, and both having produced remarkably consistent podium campaigns, the final round has become a straight championship decider.

The Denver 450SX Main Event begins under the flames, with Jorge Prado launching strongly before Hunter Lawrence took control.

Tomac’s race had its own complication. He was in the podium group early before stalling in the sand and dropping back to seventh. From there, he worked back through the front group, passing Prado and Webb before reclaiming a podium position. He finished 19.466 seconds behind Lawrence, but after an injury interruption and a missed round, the result was a clear signal that Tomac still has front-running pace.

Hunter Lawrence and Ken Roczen acknowledge each other after Denver, with the 450SX title fight now separated by a single point.

Malcolm Stewart was another rider who came on strong as the Main Event developed. After having to qualify through the LCQ, Stewart worked his way into the top five and eventually finished fourth on the Husqvarna, ahead of Chase Sexton. It was a useful salvage job after a difficult path into the Main, and enough to keep him eighth in the championship.

Hunter Lawrence takes the chequered flag in Denver, cutting Ken Roczen’s 450SX championship lead to one point with one round remaining.

Sexton finished fifth, Prado sixth after leading the opening lap, with Garrett Marchbanks, Justin Barcia, Dean Wilson and Dylan Ferrandis completing the top ten.

Jorge Prado showed improved pace in Denver, taking the holeshot and leading the early stages of the 450SX Main Event.

Webb’s 11th place proved costly, ending any realistic chance of taking the championship fight to the final round as a three-way contest.

For Lawrence, the victory was about more than the 25 points. It shifted the pressure back onto Roczen at precisely the right time. For Roczen, the job now is simple enough to state, but far harder to execute: beat Lawrence in Salt Lake City, and he is champion…

450 Main Results

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Quotes

Hunter Lawrence – P1

“It’s good. When I see the [30] second board go sideways I get so excited. Let’s go out, have fun, and do what I love to do. It couldn’t have been much better than that. I’m really happy. Let’s go to Salt Lake, baby.”’

Ken Roczen – P2

“It was a great race, I’m honestly happy with it. I just wasn’t fast enough, all day really. I know I had a great lap in Qualifying, but Hunter [Lawrence] was on it all day. Once I got into second, I tried a little bit [to catch Lawrence] but I didn’t want to override because it was going to be a long Main Event. I just settled into second. We had a four-point lead, it’s one point now. It is what it is going into the last race. That’s most exciting for the fans, us, and everyone.”

Ken Roczen finished second in Denver, retaining the 450SX red plate by a single point ahead of Salt Lake City.

Eli Tomac – P3

“I’m glad to land on this podium for the Colorado fans! I was so bummed when I stalled it in the sand. I just happened to stomp on my rear brake there and then, honestly, like double-stalled. Anyway, I was able to claw back there, had some fun on this track, and that was just a good bounce back. I’m happy to get back for these last two rounds, and love being on the West Coast, too – of course, home state in Colorado – and we’ll try to get another podium next week.”

Eli Tomac returned to the 450SX podium in front of the Colorado crowd, recovering from an early stall to finish third.

Malcolm Stewart – P4

“Every time we come to Denver, the track is tough. There was a lot going on in that race – you could’ve thrown a blanket over all of us! There was a lot of carnage, but at the end of the day, I guess Christmas came in May for me for a fourth! We’ve just got to continue moving forward. I struggled a little bit tonight and went to the LCQ, which I haven’t been to in a minute, but we just tried to ride our race [in the Main Event] and get it done.”

Malcolm Stewart salvaged fourth in Denver after transferring through the LCQ, keeping him eighth in the 450SX standings.

Jorge Prado – P6

“I would say Denver was a pretty positive weekend for me – especially after a couple of tough weekends, it was nice to get back towards the front with a Heat Race win. I adapted to the track well for the night program, and small achievements like that Heat Race are a big confidence booster for me. And then in the Main Event, I got a good start and tried to race with the guys up front – their pace was a little stronger than mine, but I tried my best to hold on. I made a small mistake before the triple, which cost me, so I’d say 95 per cent of the race was good, just that last five wasn’t perfect. P6 for the night was decent and now we have one round to go.”

Jorge Prado leads Hunter Lawrence early in the Denver 450SX Main Event before Lawrence moved to the front and controlled the race.

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450 Championship Points

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250 Main

The 250SX West title was already settled before Denver, but Haiden Deegan showed no sign of treating the penultimate Supercross round as a formality.

The 250SX West field charges away in Denver, where Haiden Deegan went on to take another Main Event victory.

Max Anstie was credited with the holeshot, but Deegan was in control by the end of the opening lap and led the race from there. He completed the 19-lap Main Event in 16m33.016s, beating Levi Kitchen by 3.529 seconds, with Ryder DiFrancesco third.

Deegan’s best lap was a 51.915 on lap six, which was also the fastest lap of the race. Kitchen was closest on outright pace with a 52.423, while DiFrancesco’s best was a 52.828. Once Deegan had established the early margin, he was able to manage the gap and bring home another controlled victory.

Kitchen’s second place was a strong return for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki. After injury uncertainty in the lead-up, he qualified well, worked into second early in the Main and then maintained that position to the flag. The result keeps him second in the 250SX West standings and gives him momentum heading into the East/West Showdown.

Levi Kitchen returned to the 250SX West podium with second in Denver, strengthening his grip on second in the championship.

DiFrancesco added a useful third place on a night where the fight for second in the championship tightened further. He had been quick from the outset, qualifying third and finishing second in his heat, then moved from fifth on the opening lap of the Main into the podium places during the early stages. His third podium of the season puts him fourth in the standings, just one point behind Anstie and eight behind Kitchen.

Haiden Deegan celebrates another 250SX West victory under the Denver finish-line structure.

Anstie finished fourth in Denver and remains third in the championship on 148 points, one ahead of DiFrancesco and seven behind Kitchen. That means the title may be done, but second overall in 250SX West is still very much alive heading to Salt Lake City.

Perth’s Kayden Minear gave the race an Australian point of interest with a strong fifth-place finish on the Star Yamaha. Minear was ninth at the end of the opening lap and worked forward to fifth, finishing 44.213 seconds behind Deegan. It was a composed ride and another useful marker in his rookie-season progression.

Lux Turner finished sixth after running as high as second early, ahead of Hunter Yoder, Robbie Wageman, Joshua Varize and Max Vohland.

Cameron McAdoo’s return from injury proved difficult after a heat-race penalty sent him to the LCQ, before a poor start left him fighting back to 13th in the Main.

Deegan now takes a 60-point advantage over Kitchen into Salt Lake City, with the championship already secured. The final round will be more about adding another marker to his 250SX record, while Kitchen, Anstie and DiFrancesco settle the battle for second overall.

250 Main Results

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Quotes

Haiden Deegan – P1

“I’ve got to get [more] 250 [class] wins and add it to the record books. That was a good race; a perfect start and led it [from the beginning]. I got up to about a six second gap and just tried to pace myself and put on a show for the Colorado fans.”

Haiden Deegan capped his already-secured 250SX West title campaign with another controlled Main Event win in Denver.

Levi Kitchen – P2

“I’m actually really happy. Last week I hadn’t rode yet and I wasn’t sure if I was going to race. I had a really good week and I’m pumped [with this result]. I got up into second and just tried to put good laps in. The track was really difficult and could kind of bite you. I’m looking forward to finishing Supercross and heading outdoors.”

Ryder DiFrancesco – P3

“Moving up the championship standings has been the goal the past few weeks. Second would be ideal. Tonight, once I got into third there wasn’t really anything I could do. I just pulled it in and finished with a solid effort. We’ll go to Salt Lake City and try to stack [more] points.”

Levi Kitchen, Haiden Deegan and Ryder DiFrancesco on the 250SX West podium in Denver.

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250 West Championship Points

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AMA Supercross Results
2026 Round 16

250 Heat One Results

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250 Heat Two Results

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250 LCQ Results

250 Qualifying Results

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450 Heat One Results

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450 Heat Two Results

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450 LCQ Results

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450 Qualifying Results